


Its all in the Pairing

by quinnlocke



Series: Recipes for Love and Disaster [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Chef Bokuto, First Meetings, M/M, Restaurant owner Kuroo, Unintentional First Date, Writer Kenma, restaurant AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-26
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-24 07:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10736931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quinnlocke/pseuds/quinnlocke
Summary: While the appetizers and entree were more than could be expected, what I was most looking forward to was the dessert. Fukuro-Neko’s main claim to fame has been its dessert menu, carefully crafted by Head Chef Bokuto. I was informed by my server that the Apple tarts were the most popular and well known of all the dishes. Presentation was lovely but in the end the dessert fell just short of the hype surrounding it.“My tarts aren’t living up to their hype!”“Bro, come on, you spent over a year perfecting that recipe.”“And now I’m gonna spend another year fixing it!”When Bokuto decides to change the dessert menu at their restaurant because of a local food critics review Kuroo takes matters into his own hands…By going to the guys house to cook him dinner.





	Its all in the Pairing

Tetsurou Kuroo trudged up four flights of stairs and cursed whoever decided the building didn't need an elevator. He wondered how anyone managed this trek everyday, let alone when they were laden down with a cooler and several bags of groceries like he was. Wandering thoughts were no good to him right now, though, and he shoved them away. He was a man on a mission and needed to stay focused… because what he was about to do could get him arrested. But that was the price he was willing to pay for his best friend.

He found apartment 1545, put on the best smile he could muster after his trek, and knocked on the door. After a minute or so of silence he felt that smile falter; he hadn’t taken into consideration the possibility that no one would be home. He smacked his head into the door before hearing the sound of the deadbolt being opened and he stepped back before he could fall into the apartment.

The door opened to reveal a man in his early 20’s, perhaps younger—he had one of those faces. He had blonde hair that was obviously fake, judging from the two inches of black roots showing, and wide gold eyes that were now taking him in like he was a specimen under a microscope to be studied. Kuroo found himself slightly speechless for a moment and it wasn’t until the other man spoke that he came to his senses.

“Can I help you?”

"Kenji Kozushi?” Kuroo asked, inching his way closer to the doorway.

“I might be,” he replied warily, not backing from his position despite Kuroo nearly looming over him.

“Tetsurou Kuroo,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m here to cook you dinner.”

“What?” 

Kuroo used the confusion in the other man as an opportunity to step into the apartment and make his way towards the kitchen. “Sorry to barge in like this but you see that article you wrote has sent my head chef and best friend into a bit of a tailspin, so here I am risking a restraining order to convince you to retract and change the rating you gave."

"But… I..."

"I get it. You're not supposed to do that sort of thing. But you see I've got friends in the business just like you. I chatted with your editor, Oikawa, and he mentioned you have done a retraction with a new rating previously, but wouldn't tell me what caused you to give it. Great guy, isn’t he?"

"Ummm...yes?"

"Who am I kidding, he’s a royal pain in the ass, but he’s actually a good friend of mine. We met in college, I was taking a creative writing course thinking it might help me somewhere in this line of work. I mean it's not like menus are books, but the food tells a story and that story begins when you read the words on the page.”

“Sure.”

“So, just sit tight and I’m gonna show you why Fukuro-Neko deserves five stars and why our mini apple tarts are definitely worth the hype surrounding them.”

Kuroo noticed Kenji’s eyes light up at the mention of the tarts and knew he’d succeeded. “Just one thing, though,” Kenma said with a raised finger.

“Hmmm?”

“My names Kenma, Kenji is a pseudonym.”

“Kenma.” Kuroo grinned at the name. “I like it, suits you.”

_**_**One Week ago….** _ ** _

Fukuro-Neko Grill, a delivery of flavor that met almost all expectations. - Kozushi Kenji

_**_**4 out of 5 stars**_**_

"Can you believe this?" Bokuto said throwing the magazine at his best friend and business partner. Kuroo picked up the copy of __The Weekly Bean__ and thumbed through to the article written about their restaurant. 

"Hey, this is awesome! You’ve been reading this guys stuff ever since Oikawa talked about hiring him. From what I remember you telling me he’s a real stickler, and rarely gives more than three stars. We got four!"

"You don’t get it Kuroo, read the end, right there,” Bokuto said, pointing furiously at the second to last paragraph.

_While the appetizers and entree were more than could be expected, what I was most looking forward to was the dessert. Fukuro-Neko’s main claim to fame has been its dessert menu, carefully crafted by Head Chef Bokuto. I was informed by my server that the Apple tarts were the most popular and well known of all the dishes. Presentation was lovely but in the end the dessert fell just short of the hype surrounding it._

“My tarts aren’t living up to their hype!”

“Bro, come on, you spent over a year perfecting that recipe.”

“And now I’m gonna spend another year fixing it!”

"That is not how you were supposed to take that information,” Kuroo said with a sigh as he followed Bokuto into the kitchen and watched him pull out his recipe book. 

“Don’t you remember the bad review Kozushi wrote about Date Tea-room? Moniwa had to leave the city he was so ashamed,” he exclaimed, thumbing through the large leather binder that contained every recipe Bokuto had ever crafted, from the successful to the abysmal. Half the time Bokuto’s best recipes came to him when he was at his busiest. He was known to often exclaim loudly when the ideas hit him and was often fidgety until he could write it down.

“Moniwa’s wife was offered a promotion and they moved to New York, he didn’t leave Seattle in shame.”

“He left in shame!”

***

“Are you really going to recreate the entire meal?” Kenma asked, not looking up from his PSP. He’d taken a seat at the kitchen table and let Kuroo talk while occasionally asking a few questions himself.

“I don’t want you to think I am trying to sway your decision by showcasing things of ours you didn’t get to try. Though I don’t know how you managed to eat three appetizers as well as an entree,” Kuroo commented while he soaked rice paper wraps in cold water.

“I like food,” he deadpanned.

“Ha! Of course you do, why else would you do what you do for a living.”

“Not all of us get to do what we love for a living.”

“That’s the truth.”

“Did you always want to run a restaurant?”

Kuroo turned to Kenma and smiled. “I wanted to be a professional surfer.”

Kenma raised an eyebrow and Kuroo laughed loudly. “You’re serious?”

“Grew up in California, didn’t end up here until I was fifteen.”

“You know, I can see it.”

“Yeah?” Kuroo said with a leer. “Me shirtless on a board, riding the waves with the sun turning my skin bronze?”

Kenma scoffed. “More like face planting on the beach because you’re too busy checking out all the half naked people.”

Kuroo put a hand to his chest in mock pain. “And here I thought we were friends, how can you be so mean to someone who is slaving away over a meal for you?”

“You walked into my place and insisted on feeding me, you didn't say I had to be nice to you while you did it.”

***

Kuroo never thought he’d leave California. He had the sun, the surf, volleyball, and no plans to do anything with his life that didn’t involve the waves. Those plans, or lack thereof, were promptly cancelled when his parents lovingly sat him down to inform him that they no longer loved each other. It hadn't exactly been a shock. Kuroo had developed a sort of permanent bedhead from sleeping with two pillows pressed to his ears to block out the sounds of their arguing. Even more than ten years later at twenty eight, Kuroo found himself unable to sleep without the comfort of five inches of downy fluff cutting him off from the sounds of the outside world.

“Seattle? As in Seattle, Washington?” Kuroo asked in disbelief when his mother told him of the plan for them to move. His father had made the decision about custody for him when he’d packed his bags and moved back in with his parents in Tokyo. Not that Kuroo had any desire to move to Japan, but the fact that his father so willingly left him behind would always rub him raw.

“Tetsurou I know this has been hard, but… change is good. We’ll be living in a house instead of an apartment. I’ve already looked at the school, they have a volleyball team.”

“Indoor volleyball mom, I never played indoor. Beach is different.”

“I’m sure there are enough similarities that you can easily get on the team.”

“Whatever.” 

As it turned out, he needn't have worried about trying out. He was made a member within five minutes of his first day of classes. His fate was sealed the moment he met a six foot whirlwind with silver hair and bronze eyes that never lost their excitement.

“Hey hey hey! I'm Koutarou Bokuto! I'll be your tour guide. _ ** _ **”**_**_

“Tetsurou Kuroo.”

“You are like seriously tall dude.”

“I wasn't aware,” he replied sarcastically. 

“Yo! You play any volleyball down there in Cali?”

“A little.”

“I knew it! You should join the team! Our best middle blocker graduated last year and we don't have anyone who ‘measures up’.”

Kuroo wanted to glare, he really intended to. Instead he snorted and for the first time since his parents had said the words divorce, he found himself smiling. It was that friendship that was the foundation of their future and was the driving force behind the success of their restaurant. Bokuto was the fire and Kuroo was the one who kept it stoked.

***

“Your shrimp and lobster spring rolls sir,” Kuroo said setting the plate in front of Kenma. “And of course a glass of chardonnay to complement the flavors.”

“Where’s yours?” Kenma asked. Kuroo was taken aback by the statement and found himself flustered. “You didn't make one for yourself?”

“Well no… I–”

Kenma nodded and got up to grab a second setting and took one of his spring rolls and placed it on the plate he’d set up for kuroo before pulling out the chair and gesturing for him to sit. “I’m not going to eat if I’m the only one doing it. Feels rude.”

“All right,” Kuroo replied, taking a seat across from Kenma and accepting a glass of chardonnay as well. “I won’t be able to drink the entire glass.”

“That’s all right, neither will I,” Kenma assured him. “I dislike the feeling I get when I’ve had too much wine. Actually I dislike the feeling from drinking most alcohol in excess.”

“I think I drank enough in college to compensate,” Kuroo replied.

“That’s something I hear often and never understood. The first time I got drunk I felt so unbelievably paranoid that I would never not be drunk again,” Kenma said, staring at his wine glass. “I was sixteen which might have explained things, but even still I barely touched the stuff after that.”

“I was fifteen first time I got drunk. My dad left behind a bottle of bourbon when he high tailed it off to Japan and I was feeling rebellious. Didn’t drink again until college and after my first party i forgot why I had avoided it for so long. Until the next morning of course.”

Kenma laughed and took a small sip of his wine. “Ok, you have got to be a genius because I have never enjoyed Chardonnay and yet with the rolls it's perfect.”

“That’s the heart of every dish Fukuro-Neko, my best friend and I built that entire menu from pairing the right drinks with the right foods.”

“It's amazing.”

“You don’t have to tell me that. I read the article, you said the spring rolls were the best you’ve had since leaving Japan. I half made them just to prove to myself I can still cook even though I’m the suit in the front. They’re my recipe in fact, one of the many dishes I am completely responsible for.”

“So you went to culinary school?”

“Yup, Bokuto and I applied to CIA California,” Kuroo stood up and cleared their plates before returning to the table with another plate and two glasses of wine. “Fig and goat cheese canapes with mint, and a glass of pinot grigio.”

“How did you end up front of house?” Kenma inquired, not even paying attention to the food in front of him. Kuroo picked up one of the canapes and took a bite, gesturing for Kenma to do the same. He didn't continue talking until Kenma had a bite.

“Two years in and one of my professors commented how I had the right potential. Said I was great with numbers, had a personality that was better suited to public viewing. Plus they knew Bokuto and I wanted to open our own restaurant. So they said one of us was gonna need to learn the front of house aspect, so I changed from culinary to restaurant management. Took a wine class too since we were in California, no better place to learn about wine.”

“Except France maybe,” Kenma noted.

“Nah, I have a hard enough time speaking Japanese with my grandparents. I doubt I would be able to speak French without actually murdering the language so badly they imprison me.”

Kenma laughed quietly and took another bite, humming happily. Kuroo found himself smiling at the little reactions Kenma had to each bite. He wondered if he’d seen him that night; surely he would have noticed him. It wasn’t as though Kuroo was looking at the moment, in fact he was definitely not looking at all. His last two relationships had ended for the exact same reason...the restaurant.

The restaurant was always going to come first and if he was being honest, Bokuto always came second. Which was really how he ended up exactly where he was at that very moment.

***

It had taken three days, several guest complaints and one kitchen fire before Kuroo finally put his foot down. He forced Bokuto to use the vacation time he’d accumulated for over four years and sent him off to stay with his mothers for a week, to clear his head and reconnect with whatever it was he felt he’d lost touch with. 

Kuroo thought that he’d heard the last of Kozushi Kenji, apple tarts, and the mess they’d made of his life, until two days after Bokuto’s forced sabbatical. 

“Ummm, Mister Kuroo sir,” Tadashi Yamaguchi poked his head into the wine cellar where Kuroo had been taking inventory. Yamaguchi had been a hired as a favor to a friend, new to the city and nervous about...well, everything. Kuroo had taken a lot of care when it came to his training.

“Yamaguchi, how many times do I have to tell you just call me Kuroo please,” he sighed looking up from the clipboard his hand, his glasses perched on the bridge of his nose. Yamaguchi stared back at him with a light flush to his cheeks. “What is it?”

“I...I made a mistake and I think it’s caused some problems.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well Yachi and I were having lunch and talking about the restaurant...and she was telling me about the tarts that Chef Bokuto tried to change because of the review.”

“That’s not happening anymore you don’t have to worry about it. I know he posted a whole memo about changing them and the port pairing but I’m taking it down.”

“No you see, that's the problem. I think I'm the reason the review was bad.”

“The review wasn’t bad, why does everyone keep insisting a four star–” Kuroo was about to go on a rant when Yamaguchi’s words finally kicked him in the head. “What do you mean you think you’re the reason?”

“I haven’t been suggesting to pair the port with the tarts,” Yamaguchi said quickly before sucking in a breath that seemed on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry, I keep a paper with all the wines for dinner pairings and I remember almost all of them by heart but I kept forgetting the desserts and Komi was telling everyone how the tarts are only at their best when paired with the port. I know that you and chef built the entire menu around pairing foods with the drinks that will bring out the best flavors and I ruined everything I am so sorry!”

Kuroo’s mouth dropped open and Yamaguchi actually looked like he might cry. “Yamaguchi, you just secured yourself this job for as long as you want it. But I think we should discuss some more job training for you, or maybe just a change in where we put you. Next week I want you working with Komi, see if the kitchen isn’t the place for you.”

“What?” he said with a shaking voice.

“The tarts are perfect, don’t you get it? They’re perfect. He doesn't’ have to fix them. I can fix this. I’m going to fix this,” Kuroo said with a mad gleam. He finished the inventory and handed everything off to his bar manager. “Kai, I’m taking off for the rest of the day, make sure the beverage order goes in and tell Komi that he is to treat Konoha as the head chef especially in front of the line cooks.”

Kuroo had left the restaurant early for the first time in the four years since he had opened its doors. If Bokuto needed a vacation, there was a chance Kuroo needed two of them. Bokuto was dedicated to Fukuro-Neko, but Kuroo practically lived there. As it was, his apartment served only as a place for him to shower and sleep. He paid a service to clean it and another to take care of his laundry. He didn't have a pet, with no time to dedicate towards taking care of them. In time he didn't even bother trying to meet anyone and doubted he would ever. 

And it wasn't as though he hadn't been honest with each of his partners. He’d told them from the beginning that the restaurant was always going to be his top priority. That he would always try to make time for them, but his duties to his business would always come first. Of course, he had hired a staff more than capable of running the place. He knew he could leave for a month and the restaurant would still be standing when he got back. But he never took the time; Fukuro-Neko filled a spot in his life that might never be filled again.

***

“So Owl-Cat grill?” Kenma asked while waiting for Kuroo to finish the risotto. He’d abandoned his PSP at that point and was simply content to watch Kuroo move about the kitchen. “Where did you come up with that?”

“Ah,” Kuroo paused. “That’s ummm… well.”

“It doesn’t sound like a story you want to tell.”

Kuroo turned to him and sighed. “Yes and no. Could you come stir this for me? I have to get a second bottle from my bag.”

Kenma nodded, took the spoon from Kuroo, and began slowly stirring the risotto. Kuroo returned with a bottle of wine and frowned as he removed the cork. Kenma was first to break the silence. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, it's just not something I’ve let myself think about for awhile. Where the name comes from I mean,” Kuroo began. “They were the nicknames my mom gave me and Bokuto, I’m the cat he’s the owl. I was going to name the restaurant after her, especially since she put up more than half the capital we needed to get started. Bokuto completely supported that choice as well. But she insisted it be named for us and Fukuro-Neko was born.”

Kenma kept stirring as Kuroo poured the wine in slowly, both of them watching as the rice absorbed the liquid and became creamy. Kenma’s attention was soon drawn to Kuroo as he realized the other man was crying. Kuroo quickly wiped his eyes and turned away to face the sink. “I’m sorry, this is really embarrassing.”

Kenma looked at the pot with the risotto and back to Kuroo, each glance back and forth making him feel more helpless. He finally decided the risotto wasn’t important and he set the spoon down before placing a hesitant hand on Kuroo’s arm. “How long has it been?”

“Three years in June,” Kuroo gripped his hands into the sink and bit back every tear that threatened to burst forth. “I’m sorry, this really isn’t what I am like.”

“It’s ok to have feelings.”

“I am perfectly aware of that. I just mean I don’t usually break down into tears in front of strangers.”

“You’re cooking dinner for me in my kitchen and you told me about your college days, I hardly think we are strangers at this point,” Kenma assured him and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “Ummm, would it be awkward if I asked if you needed a hug?”

Kuroo faced him then and despite fighting back tears his eyes were still a bit puffy. “I like hugs.”

“You seemed like the type.”

“Oh yeah what type is that?”

“A sap.”

“I’ll have you know–” He was cut off by Kenma’s arms wrapping around him and Kuroo felt himself melt into it. His chin rested perfectly on top of Kenma’s head, which fit perfectly against his chest. He remembered a professor speaking about transcendence and thought to himself that he finally understood the feeling. He took a deep breath and smelled the food around them, the scented candle in the window and the… risotto… smoking!

“Shit!” he yelled, trying not to shove Kenma off of him as he ran to the stove to turn the heat down. “Shit, shit, shit!”

“It's ok,” Kenma quickly said, trying to bring some calm back to the room.

Kuroo didn’t answer, just poured the risotto into a bowl and dropped the pot unceremoniously into the sink before burying his face in his palm. “How about I just pack this up and go home. ‘Cause at this rate you’re gonna drop us down to three stars.”

Kenma pursed his lips together and sighed. “So is now a good time to admit I’m not Kenji Kozushi?”

Kuroo froze and slowly turned to face him. “Come again?”

Kenma bit his lower lip, his fingers twisted together and he shifted back and forth on the balls his feet. “Kenji Kozushi lives here, but I’m not him. That’s my roommate. He combined our names together to create a pseudonym so chefs,” he looked to Kuroo as he spoke, “wouldn't come looking for him if he gave them a bad review.”

“So how long before you planned on telling me?”

Kenma blanched and looked away. “I wasn’t… I thought maybe I could talk to… my roommate and tell him what happened and try to help.”

“You just let me waltz in here and do all this smooth talking and then…”

“I’m sorry, but an attractive man showed up at my door and demanded I let him cook me dinner,” Kenma retorted. “Plus you said apple tarts and… well I’m weak for apple desserts. Also you weren’t as smooth as you thought you were. But I like it anyway.”

Kuroo let out a breathy laugh which soon turned into a full blown giggles. Kenma soon joined and they found themselves sitting on the floor laughing anytime one of them made eye contact. “I can’t believe you just let me come in!”

“I can’t believe you thought this would work!”

“It’s not one of my best ideas but I got this far didn’t I?”

Kenma grabbed the bottle of wine from the counter and handed it to Kuroo. “Thanks,” he replied taking a swig before offering it to Kenma who shook his head. “So, should I head home?”

“You’ve come this far,” Kenma replied shyly. “Besides, I really want to try those tarts.”

“How likely are you to sway your roommate in my favor?”

“I don’t know, how good are those tarts?”

“The best in Seattle, I assure you of that.”

“We’ll see,” Kenma said, sitting back down at the table. “Dinner first, though.”

“So bossy!”

***

****Kuroo-Cat** __** __7:40pm_ _

Listen, I just want to say I’m sorry I didn’t try and just listen to you when you were upset about the review. I should have taken the time to help you through it and I’m sorry.

****Boku-bro** __** __7:56pm_ _

I fixed them! Or well I don’t need to fix them cause Akaashi now knows why they are so awesome!!

****Kuroo-Cat** __** __8:03pm_ _

Who?

********* **

Kenma moaned shamelessly with every bite of apple tart and Kuroo couldn’t help but stare. If Kenma minded he said nothing. It wasn't until Kuroo felt something pressing against his feet that he thought to say something.

“Are you playing footsie with me?”

Kenma opened his eyes and tilted his head. “No?”

“Are you sure?”

“It's probably the kitten.”

“It's ok, _kitten,_ I know my food is good you can just admit you’re falling for me over it.”

Kenma stared at him with a blank expression and gestured for Kuroo to look down. Staring back at him with bright green eyes was a black kitten. “Holy shit, there really is a kitten here.”

“You’re very observant.”

“Hello cutie, what’s your name?” Kuroo said, lifting the little cat into his lap and scratching it behind the ears. “Shogun?” he said, looking at the tag.

“It’s a character from the Persona series,” Kenma answered; Kuroo gave him a blank stare in return. “A video game.”

“Ah,” Kuroo nodded, still snuggling Shogun who was purring happily. “I never had much time for them. Do you game much?”

Kenma laughed and gestured to the expansive array of game consoles in the living room. “I write a weekly game review for the Seattle Sway, I do beta testing, and I have a gaming channel where I do live playthroughs.”

“So, you really do get to do what you love. You know, I kinda wish I had known from the get go who you really were. Would have been nice to get to know the real Kenma.”

“You still could. I mean, if you ever felt like randomly coming over to cook again, I could even pay for the ingredients next time,” Kenma said, keeping his eyes to the side, not meeting Kuroo’s.

“Are you asking me on a date?”

“No, I’m asking you to come over and feed me again.”

Kuroo grinned and ruffled Shogun’s head. “I’m free next Tuesday.”

**Author's Note:**

> So they say to write what you know and I work in a restaurant so this really is what I know.
> 
> I have always wanted to do a restaurant au and this idea came to me once while I was coincidentally at work. It was originally Bokuto and Akaashi but the more I worked out the plot the more I realized it had to be Kuroo and Kenma.
> 
> As for the implied BokuAka at the end I do have a companion peice to this that I plan on finsihing. Might be inclined to finish it sooner if there's genuine interest for it.
> 
> I mostly wrote this so I could have a setting and backstory in place for when I wanted to respond to prompts and write drabble ideas.
> 
> The setting is Seattle because I don't know how restaurants and food service laws work in Japan. Seattle has the third largest Japanese population in the United States and has a large LGBTQ community as well and it jumped out to me as the place to set my stories.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed it, come squeal about Kuroken and Bokuaka with me over on tumblr [http://quinnlocke.tumblr.com/](url)


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